


Silence Isn't Sweet

by Airotcivwrites



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Angst, Blood, Blood and Injury, Broken Promises, Established Relationship, Heavy Angst, I Can't Believe I Wrote This, M/M, Major Character Injury, Sad, Sad Ending, They were planning on getting married
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-02-28
Updated: 2020-02-28
Packaged: 2021-02-28 01:27:59
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,898
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22945519
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Airotcivwrites/pseuds/Airotcivwrites
Summary: Sometimes things don't always work out the way they're planned.
Relationships: Keith/Lance (Voltron)
Comments: 3
Kudos: 25





	Silence Isn't Sweet

**Author's Note:**

> I found this gem while doing a deep clean of my computer! It must of been completed around 2017 0r 2018 but I never got around to posting it. Thought I would post it here instead of just deleting it. Hope you guys enjoy!

I _t’s blistering_ , Keith thinks. The heat of the laser as it scorches his skin. Tearing, pulling and melting the edges of his armour as the blast buries itself in his side. It almost hurts. And it _does_ hurt - but not more than facing the reality that he is going to die here - alone. _Yeah_ , he thinks, It really, _really hurts_.

He’s got nothing better to do then think because lets be honest - there was no way that he was getting out of this one alive. _This is it. Kaput._ So he lets his mind wander - thinking back to the events that led up to this point..

The day had started good - waking up encircled by long tan limbs. Then later (once he had made it out of Lance’s steely grip) he had started the process of waking up with a nice hot shower. Breakfast was a quiet but comfortable affair. Lance was whining about his lack of beauty sleep. Keith can remember brushing the brown strands from Lance’s soft forehead. It was nothing more than an ordinary morning. _God,_ he thinks, _how I took those ordinary mornings for granted._

After that, the rest of the day is a bit of a blur. Keith knows it involved a lot of hand-holding and kissing - but there was something else there too. Oh yeah., that’s right. They had a fight. Keith can’t remember the details, all he knows is that it was bad. _Real bad._ It had started off as something petty - something stupid. Something not worth fighting over. 

_But that’s the thing about space,_ Keith thinks, _It kind of makes you loose your mind_.

The details blur together but Keith is pretty sure he said something stupid. No, he _knows_ he said something stupid. Which really, isn’t much of a surprise. He can be rather impulsive. Either way, the whole thing had blown up. There was yelling - lots of yelling and then there was quiet.After that Keith doesn’t remember much. Only silence.

Lance was actively avoiding him, at least until the paladins of Voltron were once again called into action.

And so here he is. He figures the wound should have sealed with the heat of the lasers - but that's not the case. He’s bleeding out. And he realizes that - shit! He's kind of scared. _Oh well_ , _at least it doesn’t hurt anymore_. But that’s just it - nothing hurts. He knows he’s dying, he can feel it. And after today he almost _wants_ to die. Anything would be easier than having to face the reality of his situation right now. Anything. And it’s not like he had anybody waiting on him. He could die any minute and no one would care!

“Keith!?” Well, almost no one. Lance’s voice is loud as it echoes off the rocks that surround him. It sounds like Lance is looking for him - almost as if he is concerned.

_Of course he’s concerned dumb ass, he’s your boyfriend!!_

Keith makes a pained noise in response.

“Keith? Keith is that you? You weren’t responding on the comms and I’m actually pretty pissed at you right now. So c’mon it’s time to go, you’ve had your fun.”

Keith whines. Lance's voice filters out from behind a particularly large rock. Lance can’t see him.

“Keith! C’mon quit playing around we have to -“ Lance’s voice cuts off.

Keith can’t see what’s happening - his eyes are blurring with tears (failing him) but he can still hear Lance’s sharp intake of breath. Then suddenly fingers are running through his hair - gripping it, almost painfully. Keith might not be able to see but he can still hear. Lance’s is gasping for breath - reaching out for him.

“Keith - Keith what the fuck? What the fuck?!” Lance’s voice is shrill - nearly shattering his eardrums.

Keith can’t answer. His head is heavy and he is trying his best to keep his eyes open. But he’s failing.

 _Just like he always fails_. 

Lance is still shaking beside him - he’s in shock. Keith’s in shock too. He should be dead. Why wasn’t he dead yet?

Suddenly Lance snaps out of it and is frantically yelling into the comms. Keith can hear bits and pieces of conversation but it’s being drowned out by the ever demanding white noise. He hears his name _Keith_ and a couple other things like _hurt_ and _help_. Lance continues shouting into the coms and Keith closes his eyes because - because _this could be it_. He’s going to die on some strange planet in some strange solar system and he’s never going to - _he’s never going to_ \- he’s never going to have the life that Lance and him dreamed about. The life that they had promised each other. The life where one day Keith would wake up entangled by Lance’s long limbs. The life where he would gently try to rouse Lance from his slumber through a series of soft whispers and gentle kisses. The life where Lance will bat his hands away and grumble out a muffle ‘five more minutes’. The life where the universe was already saved and Lance and Keith could have a future together. A future full of terribly domestic things - like buying their first house, marriage and oh god. _Kids_.

But it doesn’t matter now, because Keith is dying.

He is brought back from his thoughts with a sharp slap across his cheek.

 _Oh yeah, I'm suppose to stay awake_.

His eyelids feel heavy and he would rather have a nap than face the whole ‘near death’ or ‘possible death’ experience but Lance is hyperventilating and Keith needs to help him. He carefully maneuvers his shaking hand up to cup the side of Lance’s cheek so that the blue paladin will look at him. It works.

“Lan…ce.” His voice cracks.

Lance quickly moves his hand up - alongside Keith’s and intertwines their fingers.

“Keith, Keith w-we have to get you out of here, okay? I need to get you out of here.”

Lance’s voice is raw with barely suppressed emotion and Keith's mind vaguely registers the tears slipping from the other boy’s eyes. Lance is crying. Keith grunts - which Lance takes as an affirmative and slowly Lance positions his hands so that they are supporting the smaller boy’s back and legs. Almost as if he is cradling Keith. Then Keith is in the air, held up by familiar, strong arms that Keith knows will never drop him. Ever.

He tries his best not to let the pained gasps escape his lips, but its no use. It hurts too fucking much. Lance sends him a worried glance but quickly redirects his attention to getting the hell away from there. The stars behind the red paladins eyelids have increased in number and Keith can slowly feel himself falling apart.

Suddenly there is a deafening roar and the red lion is right there in front of them.

 _Huh…She can feel it too_.

Lance wastes no time in boarding the red lion. He takes special care not to jostle the red paladin as he carries him bridal style up the ramp and into Red. Every step sends a stab of searing pain throughout Keith’s body. After (what seems like hours), they finally make it into Red’s cockpit.Keith is fading - and he’s fading fast. The pained has significantly numbed and he feels lighter - almost like he is floating. Lance disappears from his line of sight for a mere second - probably to put Red on autopilot - before reappearing in front of him.

“Keith. Keith listen to me. C’mon buddy, we’re on our way back to the castle. There’s help there. We’re going to help you and all you have to do is stay awake.”

Keith’s trying, _he’s trying so fucking hard_. If not for himself then definitely for Lance. But he’s losing.

“Keith listen to me.” Lance slaps his face again and Keith jolts.

The crying has turned into full-blown sobs and Keith might not be able to see that well right now - but he can tell that Lance’s face is scrunched up in pain. The waterworks keep coming and Keith thinks that if he wasn’t dying because of a wound to the side he would have certainly drowned by now. So Keith tries to hold on for the beautiful boy in front of him. Because fuck it - Lance has given him _so_ much. Lance has given him _so much fucking good_ in these last two years in space than Keith has ever had in his entire life. He was an orphan. An outsider. A loner.

But then Lance and the rest of team Voltron came along and made his part of a family.

He has a family.

The tears scorch as they run down his cheeks because he realizes that he’s going to have to leave them all behind. After all they have done for them - Keith is going to bail. Again.

Now both him and Lance are sobbing - gross, ugly tears leak from their eyes. Keith is sorry. He is so fucking sorry. Amidst their sobs Lance starts to run his fingers through Keith’s hair and he groggily leans into the touch. After all, it might be his last chance to touch Lance.

They lie there on the floor of the Red lion sobbing.

Keith is lying across Lance’s stomach.

Lance's blood-soaked uniform.

The blue paladin is a mess.

Keith is a mess. 

_He's going to miss Lance the most._

Suddenly, Lance’s voice cuts through Keith’s thoughts.

“Keith? Keith are you with me?” Its a question laced with pure fear and Keith roughly grunts in response.

Once he has responded he can feel Lance relax underneath him.

 _It's better this way._

The Red lion hums and Lance springs up immediately to assess their location. Once he sees the familiar glow of the castle he relaxes. Keith registers Lance demanding a pod be ready for him over the coms.

And then…and then he can’t remember. He’s tired.

The floor of Red’s cockpit isn’t the comfiest place in the world but Keith decides that he will just have to make do. Why was he in the cockpit of Red anyway? He can’t remember. His steely eyes drift close on their own accord and he succumbs to the depths. Except he can hear shouting right next to his ear. It’s strange because he feels like he’s underwater - he can’t really decipher words from all the yelling. However he does hear his name…so he should probably make some effort to open his eyes. _Right?_ Someone might need him, someone important.

He struggles - willing his eyes to open - but they remain shut. He can’t hear at all anymore. Why can’t he open his eyes? He needs to see what’s wrong! Someone could be hurt, or in trouble! _Someone important_. But it’s no use. He thinks he can feel someone - or something pick him up roughly. But he can’t really tell. It’s all a blur. One horrifying, confusing blur.

And everything is screaming at him to wake up. Why can’t he just wake the fuck up???

His head is pounding, his pulse is rushing - he’s - _he can't breathe_ \- until it all stops. There’s nothing. A flame burns out. He lets out his last breath and his hand falls lifeless from the one he was holding onto so tightly just moments earlier.

There’s no rise or fall of his chest.

Just silence.

Somewhere someone screams.

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks for reading!


End file.
